Wandell, 25, was believed to be in talks with Sodertalje SK — the team he represented at both the junior and senior levels before coming to North America — but opted to head to Russia and join a Severstal club that finished a disappointing 11th in the KHL a season ago.

The signing is a big score for Severstal. Wandell’s emerged as a solid bottom-six forward for the Stars over the last two seasons and tied a career-high with 15 points last year, before signing a one-year, $892,500 extension in July.

In Cherepovets, Wandell will be joined by a pair of Swedish countrymen: Niclas Andersen and Niclas Bergfors, the latter a five-year NHL veteran with New Jersey, Florida and Nashville.